Fashion

Unwrapped: What To Get The Coolest Women You Know

Guaranteed to impress

'Tis officially the season for gift-giving. For us, that’s a full month (31 days!) in which we’ll be providing gift ideas for everyone on your list with our Unwrapped holiday gift guides. So make your holiday shopping a breeze this season, and let us help you find gifts for all the people in your life—and maybe even a spoiled pet or two.

This is easily my favorite gift guide to assemble because it's basically just a collection of all my favorite things that I want to give to all my favorite people, because I love them and because they are... cool. There's something on here for every woman in your life—coworkers, friends, sisters, mothers, grandmothers... (grandmothers can be the coolest). And, hey, you might even find something on here to get for yourself or ask for yourself. (Personally, all I want is a vacuum cleaner, which might not sound cool, but that is because I am beyond cool, I am, like, galactic brain cool.)

Anyway! Here: A list of cool things for cool women, to be purchased and given by you, who are also, I am sure, cool. Cool!

Lirika Matoshi, 'Amongst the Stars' Socks, $32, available at Catbird.

Socks might not seem like a "cool" gift, but that's ridiculous because there's nothing cooler than being practical. Or, at least, the pretense of practicality. Because these sheer, gossamer, sparkly socks are not maybe the most practical things ever, but they're definitely cool, and so any cool woman would like them.

The Glad Hours, Fingernails Sleeping Mask, $85, available at Austin Motel Store.

Nothing is cooler than sleeping. And you might as well help someone look as cool as possible while doing it by giving them this very cool sleeping mask.

Scott Lenhardt, '24 Hour Woman' Calendar, $26, available at Coming Soon.

Knowing what day it is? Very cool. To be honest, all the cool women we know are really into analogue versions of things like clocks and calendars, all in an attempt to break their phone addictions, if only in very small, cool ways.

Marian Bull, Dip Cup, $40, available at Marian Bull.

On the website for this cup, potential buyers are advised that it's just the right size to hold one or two bags of M&Ms. Very cool! Also, a cool woman would appreciate a gift certificate to Marian Bull's ceramics shop, because everything she makes is so, so cool. (One of her other items, the Sun Cup, is actually on my very own wish list, published here on nylon dot com.)

Hi Wildflower, 'Dianthus' Lipstick, $27, available at Hi Wildflower.

I've written before about my love for Hi Wildflower's Sandalo perfume—and the entire beauty and fragrance line, in general. But if you're going to give a cool woman one cool thing this year, give her this gorgeous, classic red matte lipstick. It's universally flattering and stays put for ages, but also looks very good if it's been (accidentally!) rubbed off and all over your face. It's just that pretty!

Small Spells, Bart Rose t-shirt, $35, available at Small Spells.

Few things are more cool than amateur drawings of Bart Simpson (personally, I spent many an hour perfecting this art on the inside cover of my 5th-grade binder), but when you add to that a rose stem and an elegant hand? So cool! The coolest.

STATE Optical Co., 'Elston' Sunglasses, $387, available at STATE Optical Co.

I have a pair of STATE's Sandburg frames, which I like very much and have been told I look very cool while wearing. But I think buying these sunglasses for someone you love would be an even cooler move, because sunglasses are inherently cooler than regular glasses, anyway.

Snow Fox, All-in-One DIY Gift Box, $120, available at Snow Fox.

This skin-care line has become an obsession for me since I started using it. My skin has never been softer, it's luminously clear, and I've become addicted to the faintly minty scent of the products. Though you can buy someone the face masks, face wash, or moisturizer individually, why not get them this gift set? It also includes four powders that they can make into their own face masks. What's cooler than DIY? Nothing.

REALM, 'Boobeyes' Dyed Clutch, $45, available at El Cosmico Provisions Co.

Eyes are cool. Boobs are cool. Tie-dye is cool. This little clutch is, therefore, cool. A cool woman would love it.

Ellis Brooklyn 'Verb' Body Milk, $55, available at Shen Beauty.

This body milk is very cool because it has one of the most intoxicating scents ever, replete with citrusy bergamot and rich cedarwood. It's even cool despite being inspired by Ernest Hemingway, who, as a man, could not possibly be all that cool. (That said, Hemingway did give us Lady Brett Ashley, who is, in fact, a very cool woman. So that's cool.)

Sqirl, 'Seascape Strawberry and Rose Geranium' Jam, $13, available at Sqirl.

This jam is one of the coolest possible things to give someone because it will feed them, and nourishment is cool. Also this jam—all the Sqirl jams, really—is so good that the cool woman you give it to will possibly want to just spoon it straight from the jar and eat it that way. It is the cool way to do it. So don't judge.

— This slide is sponsored by Nicole Miller —

Nicole Miller, Artielier Evil Eye Leather Tank, $385, available at Nicole Miller.

Open your friend's third eye to all the possibilities of dressing this tank top up or casually dressing it down. If ever there was sartorial enlightenment, this tank is it.

Herbivore Botanicals, Coconut Soak, $18, available at Herbivore Botanicals.

Baths are very cool and also warm and sometimes even very hot. Help someone's bath get a little cooler with this luxurious, all-natural coconut soak, which will leave them hydrated and smelling like a subtle cookie for the rest of their day.

Scosha, Bar Stack Stone Ring in Gold and Mixed Stones, $642, available at Scosha.

This ring is so cool, not only because it's colorful and eye-catching, but also because of that bar shape, which looks vaguely tough, in the way of an all-black butterfly. Very cool. 

Caron Callahan, Elizabeth Top, $265, available at Caron Callahan.

Modest dressing is very cool right now, and this top with its high, ruffled collar gestures to that, while also featuring a plunging neckline that says, "Hey, immodest dressing is cool, too." The point is, this is a cool shirt. Any cool woman would love it.

Pamela Love, Porcelain Candle, $88, available at Pamela Love.

I am super into this collaboration between Love and the (also cool) Joya Studio, because it has produced a candle that not only smells amazing (think: incense and citrus and earthy patchouli), but it comes in this pretty pink ceramic vessel that your friend can clean out and use as a cup forever and ever! 

Wary Meyers, Pompidou Soap, $14, available at Wary Meyers.

This soap looks so cool. I don't think I've ever seen a cooler soap. And whatever cool woman you give it to will feel the same. I love this soap!

Rachel Comey, Hagen Fanny Pack, $195, available at Rachel Comey.

Fact: Fanny packs are now cool. And your cool women friends already know that and will love to get a fanny pack designed by ultimate cool woman designer Rachel Comey. (True story: I went to her sample sale earlier this fall and saw Gaby Hoffman and Parker Posey there! It was a cool woman heaven.)

Smythson, Mine Special Edition Soho Notebook, $230, available at Smythson.

Is being possessive cool? Only when it comes to notebooks. So let the cool woman in your life act out all her possessive urges with this perfect little periwinkle beauty, within whose pages she can scribble down all of her deepest, darkest, coolest thoughts. 

Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Recurring Donations, prices vary, available at Catskill Animal Sanctuary.

Nothing cooler than giving a gift to those who need some help in this world. Your cool women friends know this, and so will appreciate if you set up a monthly recurring donation in their name to a cool charity like the Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Giving back is the coolest thing ever. Be cool.